Red Tractor’s award-winning 2023 campaign has reached eight out of ten main shoppers.

Launched in March 2023 across live TV channels, catch-up TV, YouTube, social media and online, our ‘Tractor Facts’ campaign aims to bring our ‘Farmed with Care’ message to life and explain more clearly how Red Tractor produce is farmed with care, from farms to pack.

This year’s campaign has been our largest yet, reaching eight out of ten UK main shoppers and over 40 million people in total¹. The 2023 campaign has succeeded in growing by 1.2million the number of UK main shoppers who state that they see the Red Tractor logo as an independent marque that they can trust².

And we were delighted to win the Best Marketing Campaign award at the 2023 Fresh Produce Awards.

But why does this campaign matter? It is crucially important that we communicate the value of the Red Tractor logo to consumers, because our consumer research consistently demonstrates a clear and positive relationship between UK consumers’ understanding of Red Tractor and the likelihood of them buying Red Tractor Assured products³.

Our latest consumer research shows that Red Tractor adds more to product quality perceptions than Britishness alone⁴. And when given a small amount of information about Red Tractor (as we have done in our 2023 campaign), consumers’ quality perceptions of Red Tractor logo products increase significantly⁴.

The breadth and depth of what we cover, combined with the fact that we provide assurance at every key stage of the production process, gives consumers confidence that Red Tractor logo products are traceable, safe and farmed with care.

Refs:

1. The7Stars
2. YouGov data, Sept 2023, 2,231 UK main shoppers.
3. Logo value research (The7Stars) 2020-21
4. Product quality research (Link Consumer), Spring 2023

Images from the Food Heroes booklet.

We are delighted to launch Red Tractor Food Heroes – a celebration of some of the household brands, foodservice operators and food manufacturers that represent the rigorous standards that British Red Tractor Assured food and drink is produced to.

The booklet features 16 Licensees across different sectors – and explores some interesting questions: What is unique about their business? Why do their customers love them? How does their brand support British farmers? And how does being a partner with Red Tractor help their business?

A huge thank you to everyone involved in developing this booklet.

The booklet is available as a downloadable PDF now – just click here.

Of course, one booklet can only cover a very small proportion of the hundreds of Red Tractor Licensees. So look out for future issues – and if you are interested in being part of Food Heroes Volume 2 in 2024, please let us know at marketing@redtractor.org.uk.

Red Tractor recognises a major milestone for UK farmers in the pig sector as its certification body, NSF, becomes one of the first UK certification bodies to offer California’s Proposition 12 (Prop 12) certification for UK pork.

As part of Prop 12, the US state of California has introduced improved welfare requirements covering the housing of sows and gilts. From 1 January 2024 producers supplying California must have a valid certificate of Prop 12 compliance.

The Prop 12 requirements include increased freedom of movement and housing space. Red Tractor’s existing ‘outdoor bred’ Core Standards for pigs already meet these new higher welfare requirements in California. Indoor breeding farms providing additional space can also achieve Prop 12 certification.

As part of its ongoing work to achieve maximum market access for farmers, during 2023 Red Tractor has been focused on securing this export opportunity for UK pig farmers and processors.

Red Tractor CEO, Jim Moseley said: “Market access is a key goal for food chain assurance and Red Tractor has been working closely on this with the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) and NSF over recent months. I’m delighted that we can now offer UK pig farmers access to this important market for selling safe and traceable UK pork.

“We have explored all the different options for achieving this, including whether the CDFA could simply recognise the Red Tractor scheme directly. However, Californian legislation requires the independent assessment and certification body to be certified by CDFA.

“That’s why news that NSF has now been certified by CDFA is so significant. It makes it very easy for pig farmers and their processors to access the California market from January next year. As part of their existing Red Tractor assessment, they will be able to simply add the Prop 12 checks, where required, and have access to this important market for their pork.

“This is an important milestone for the pigs sector in this country. Hopefully it can be the start of a productive and ongoing new trading relationship. We’re encouraging the CDFA to visit the UK so that they can see first-hand the high standards our Red Tractor farmers work to.”

Dale Newitt, Director of Supply Chain Food Safety, NSF said: “NSF’s Prop 12 certification means British pork producers can now access the Californian market with greater confidence. This aligns perfectly with NSF’s mission to improve and protect human health, as healthier animals mean safer, higher quality meat for consumers. California consumes nearly 15% of all US pork, yet only produces 1%, so it relies heavily on imports from other states and internationally, which, in 2022, the US imported over £1.3 billion pork products.”